Sleeping On the Job
by Dazzling Mage
Summary: Zoro learns there are consequences to neglecting your job on board a pirate ship. One shot ZoLu. Shounenai.


A/N: Happy birthday Mekky!!

Enjoy!!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own One Piece, it belongs to Oda Eiichiro-sensei. Envy him!

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Dark, calm ripples bounced through the water as the Going Merry treaded silently in the middle of the sea. Under the scrutinizing glow of the moon, the Merry could easily adopt a haunted look; the messy patches of wood hammered here and there, the glinting metal that's holding the main mast together. Nonetheless, she was a sturdy ship, sailing smoothly, and creaking ever so slightly.

No one was on deck at this hour of the night; this was proven by the even, slumbered breathing from the rooms below. Other than that, the ship was peaceful. Complete silence enveloped the ship, until a sudden, heavy _thudump_ made the ship shake unsteadily for a few moments, as well as disturbing the sleeping crew, which was the effect Roronoa Zoro hoped to achieve when he decided to jump out of the crow's nest all the way down. He then marched off noisily; each stomp he made sure was felt by every member of the ship, especially the navigator, whom he knew valued sleep. Nami wouldn't be happy in the morning, but neither was he by his punishment. Alright, so sleeping while on guard during the Marine attack might have been his fault, if something bad _happened_- which didn't; but this was too much, and he was going to rebel.

Clangs of pots and pans alerted the swordsman of another wakeful crew member, and he hurried to the galley. Sprawled on the floor, stomach naturally protruding after a meal and surrounded by the metallic cooking instruments that he obviously knocked over, was Luffy. He squinted up at Zoro, his flushed face breaking into a slow grin, "Zoro! There you are!" He waved a tankard in the air, half full with beer, in an inviting gesture, but Zoro didn't move. Luffy then attempted to stand up, but his knees wobbled, and he bumped into the table, knocking a chair and himself down on the floor once again.

Zoro winced at the sight. The task of watching Luffy while on guard had him anticipating trouble in this ridiculous punishment. Having him drunk was twice as much pain in the ass. He crossed the kitchen towards the rubber-man, kicking two pots in the process, and helped him up. After a slight difficulty in keeping Luffy firm on his feet, another difficulty arose in trying to get him to stand still, but Luffy was already staggering out of the galley, all the while ignoring Zoro. The muscled man felt a vein throbbing on his forehead. Snatching a tankard, he poured beer from the already opened bottle and chugged the drink hastily, before carelessly placing it down. He needed all the help and patience to get him through the night.

Outside, Luffy already started singing like a strangled parrot. The lyrics slurred on his tongue, but his vocal cords, unfortunately, did not disappoint. Zoro gave him a couple more minutes, hoping Nami was stuffing her ears with her pillows and grinding her teeth in aggravation. He couldn't wait to see her come morning.

"Oi, Luffy. Quit it."

But the captain carried on howling, swaying from side to side as if it's part of a performance. His fingers gripped the board, which was the only thing keeping him upright. Luffy continued swaying, and at a high deafening note, he lifted himself slightly, his arms, shaking dangerously, pushing on the board. Zoro growled. "Luffy, get down!"

But it was too late, one of Luffy's arms gave out, and his hand loosened its grip on the board. He toppled overboard, body almost swallowed by the sea, if Zoro hadn't grabbed in time and pulled him back. He also added a smack on the back of the drunk's head, knocking him to the floor. "I told you to stop!"

"Don't be such a stiff, Zoro," the young man giggled, which irritated Zoro to no end. It was just like him to find in entertaining.

Luffy glanced at Zoro before grinning mischievously. "Why don't you sing Zoro?"

"I'd rather you die," was the snorted response.

A burst of laughter filled the temporarily silent night. Zoro glared at the young man as he doubled over, laughter dying to soft chuckles. Luffy looked up at Zoro again with a sly grin, making Zoro ill at ease. "I'll give you snack if you do."

"I'm not a pet," Zoro spat out, veins throbbing rapidly on his temples. This time Luffy pouted, widening his eyes with disappointment and what looked like hurt, which unnerved the swordsman. He found that he disliked this look.

So he cleared his throat, faced the vast ocean, opened his mouth and imitated a dying seagull as best as he could.

"That's no different than what I did!" The rubber-man cried gleefully, before erupting in laughter once again. And that was how the dawning sun peaked at them from the horizon; Zoro squawking, and Luffy exploding into peals of laughter. It was only when the young man wiped tears from his eyes and started messaging his stomach, did Zoro decide to stop.

Zoro made up his mind once again to try and steer the hyper captain somewhere safe once Luffy quieted down. Locking him in the storage room wouldn't be bad; he might eat everything, but he wouldn't be blamed when _Nami_ already offered half of their food supply to the captain. He glanced at Luffy, still sitting on the floor. It struck him that he was unnaturally quiet, even for a drunk, but he shrugged it off.

"Hey, Luffy. What do you say we- eh?!"

Elastic arms sprung up from where the captain was sitting and curled around Zoro. The arms around his shoulders, and the legs around his waist. And what came after that was the whole body, but Zoro hardly felt that impact as much as he felt the smack of the lips against his.

It didn't last long, as the arms and legs uncurled, flinging the young captain to the floor, where he grinned lazily at the frozen Zoro. Zoro was aware how hot his face felt, and how noisy his brain suddenly became. It started buzzing with incoherent words he couldn't decipher. And while it was busy with that, he didn't find the strength to move. He was also aware of Luffy pointing at him and laughing, but he couldn't get angry or find the humor in that either.

His reactions were gone. His brain deserted him. His muscles aren't working. He also felt tingly all over, almost- but not quite like it- giddy.

"That's you're reward!" Luffy announced before burping deeply, then passing out on the floor. This sent enough signals to electrify and move the swordsman to Luffy's side. Panic subsided to exasperation when a snore was emitted.

Zoro never thought his punishment would turn out the way it did. At least next time, with more beer and food, he might get Luffy to join him in what they're both good at- sleeping on the job.

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So, here's the surprise: this is my first shonen-ai. And it will remain so until Mek pokes me to write one again, lol. But I enjoyed it, so no worries. Please shower your reviews and criticisms! 


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